On March 16th, 2017, 24 year-old Ms Dong (董) of Yubei District, embarked upon the process of purchasing a little monkey intended to be a pet, after seeing what she thought was a legitimate advertisement on ‘WeChat’ which featured a video of a little monkey playing – together with a contact telephone number. The seller immediately demanded a ‘deposit’ of 650 Yuan, to ensure that the monkey would not be sold to another buyer. After handing over the money – a new message informed Ms Dong that her monkey was in quarantine (after being imported into China by air), and that she would have to pay a further 3700 Yuan for its medical care and general upkeep. On March 17th, Ms Dong received a note from a person claiming to represent a courier firm – stating that the monkey had to have a very expensive vaccine – which would cost Ms Dong another 2,000 Yuan. If she did not pay, she would not receive the monkey or get any of her money back. The next day, Ms Dong – worried for the monkeys safety – decided to pay the 2,000 Yuan via ‘WeChat’. The next ‘demand’ stated that the courier firm was being difficult and would not ship the monkey without insurance cover of another 4,000 Yuan – which Ms Dong paid after being told she had 12 hours to comply. The seller then provided a ‘fake’ screen-shot statement of account, claiming Ms Dong had not paid the 4,000 Yuan. It was at this point in the proceedings that Ms Dong contacted the Yubei District Public Security Bureau – where two police officers were assigned to investigate this case (which is ongoing). The police stated that under Chinese Law it is illegal to trade animals in a private capacity, as this does not guarantee the safety or good treatment of said animals. To sell animals in China, the owner must possess an up-to-date licence from the government that guarantees that the animals are looked after and cared for to an appropriate degree – as animal cruelty is a criminal act under Chinese Law – punishable with imprisonment and high fines. Furthermore, the police stated that monkeys are an endangered species both inside and outside of China, and those trafficking them in any way will face the harshest of legal punishment. Monkeys should not be captured in the wild and forced to live in small cages, as this distresses them greatly, and makes their behaviour highly aggressive and unpredictable. If anyone encounters animal trafficking or animal cruelty in China – they should immediately contact the local police.